Hello. I'm jumping on the paddy-wagon and writing a Jack Sparrow fic, mainly because all the mary-sues and random fan girl insertions are beginning to drive me insane. No offense intended to any writers of the afore-mentioned stories, I'm just a narrow-minded grouch. Oh, and I'd like to thank my friend Kristin who mentioned that Jack would be happy with just his "rum, ship and the occasional wench."

            Mr. Gibbs could not have said precisely when it started. It crept up, like fog, so slowly that one didn't notice it until it was painfully obvious. By then, everyone was thinking it, but nobody mentioned it. Except Anna-Maria. The whole issue had been going over in her mind all morning, and, seeing no solution, she decided to bring it to the attention of a mate. As she tied down some rigging Mr. Gibbs passed her. Anna-Maria tapped him on the shoulder.

            "What be eatin' the cap'n?"  She accosted.

            "So you've seen it too," Mr. Gibbs responded. He risked a quick glance at the "cap'n."  Jack was at the Helm-indeed the man seemed to have grown roots at the Helm. He still moved as though slightly drunk, still peered at random places, and still gestured a lot. But there was an odd stoop to his shoulders and sadness in his manner.

            Mr. Gibbs scratched his whiskers, "It be mighty strange, what with all the luck we've been blessed with."

            Anna-Maria gave a quick nod.
            True, the Black Pearl's endeavors had been prosperous. They'd hung around the Caribbean Sea for a time, before heading up north to pillage there. Weighed down with cargo, trading vessels were sitting ducks. Plunder had been good. However, they did encounter a flotilla of British warships. Although the Pearl was flying England's colors, the warships showed a tad too much interest. So, from some secret corner of his cabin, Jack dug out a flag signaling 'plague was aboard.' The warships left. A few weeks later, two Spanish privateering vessels tried to board them. The Pearl raced off, the Spanish pirates gave chase, and one of their boats exceeded her partner and gained on the Pearl. Then, Jack had the Pearl stop, turn, and fire on the lone Spanish ship. Suddenly under attack, the Spaniards gave up and got looted. By the time their second ship caught up the Pearl was gone. Then just last week they'd acquired a smallish boat, much like the one Jack had "borrowed" from Anna-Maria. Anna-Maria pointed this out, rather loudly, but Jack said they'd tow it until they needed it.

            They were lawless, shifty, but bloody rich thieves. They divided their plunder, stopped at some seedy port and spent it. Thus impoverished, they set sail again for treasure. Or, in the captain's case, to slake his taste for thrills.

                        The weather was balmy, the wind filled the sail, and Jack sank deeper into melancholy.

            Mr. Gibbs leaned against a rail, "I wager it be all this good fortune. Cap'n just wants a challenge and he is disheartened he's not getting it."

            Anna-Maria held her chin as she thought, "Dats not it," she concluded in her shrill voice, "You and I know Jack bettar dan most anyone.               And I know he will take what he can git and be happy."

            Mr. Gibbs took a swing from his trusty canteen. "You know what," he determined after swallowing, "We'll be scrubbing down the 'ull soon. Anyone can be depressed 'bout that."  ('Scrubbing down the hull' involved partly beaching the ship at low tide, turning it on its side, smearing the wood with all manner of hot sticky-smelling stuff, and repeating on the other side.)

            "Stop whining!" Anna-Maria snapped. Mr. Gibbs raised a placating hand.

            "Calm down! Its frightful bad luck to loose your head like that."

            Her eyes narrowed. She'd never quite forgiven him for suggesting it was bad luck to have a woman on board.

            Mr. Gibbs took another drink, "Besides, Jack's probably just mulling over that letter."

            Anna-Maria started, "what letter?"

Mr. Gibbs seemed to choke on his rum, "Ye mean ye don't know anything about it?"

            "No, why don't you tell me?"

            Mr. Gibbs grinned like a fox and began his tale:

            "See, it was like this. When we was in port last I separated me self from the rest of the crew, to have a look-see around by me self, ye might say. Well, so I goes along by me self and I gets into this suspicious-looking neighborhood. Its all quiet and dark when from out of the shadows comes three monstrous men! The first one is a huge shark of a man with fine lace and silk over 'is hard muscles. The other two be his African body-guards, like he needs 'em, but they are all big and their eyes shine wickedly smart. So they all surrounds me but I pulls out my

cutlass and tells 'em to go off or I'll send them to meet the devil! But they just laugh, cruel and wicked chuckles ye might say, and they attack. But not all at once, mind you, 'cause they don't think I'll be tough, but oh no, ye see…"

            Anna-Maria's visibly grew more and more irritated. Mr. Gibbs described how he vanquished his three assailants by slitting their throats…

            "…and then, as he lay bleedin', the man presses this letter into my hand. Its old and torn and yellow and the

man says, 'I be carrying this with me for twenty years-'"

            "Twenty years?" Anna-Maria snapped skeptically.

            "That is what he said, I swear on me mother's grave!" Gibbs protested, "then, he tells me to git this letter to Cap'n Jack Sparrow. Now I know you be thinking that this sort of man-"

            "What I be thinkin' is that you are fulla-"

            "Shhhhh!" Mr. Gibbs cautioned.

            "Then stop telling me tales and tell me what really happened!"

            Mr. Gibbs growled, scratched his whiskers and tried again, "I was in an empty tavern when this blind, one-legged sailor-"

            "None of dis! Before I beat you into a big bloody pulp tell me how you got dat letter!" Anna-Maria growled waving her finger in his face.

            "I was in a pub and the bloody bartender asks me if I knew a Jack Sparrow and I says yes and he says he got this letter from a man from New York neigh a year ago with the request to pass it off to a sailor named Sparrow and so I gets the letter and gives it to the Cap'n!"

            Mr. Gibbs, red in the face, turned from the woman and marched of. Anna-Maria held her hand in her chin. Her hard eyes glistened. What about the letter put Jack into a mood? A woman, perhaps? A death? She shrugged, "Tis Jack's business, not me own." 

            Jack studied his compass for no particular reason. Gibbs and Anna-Maria's murmurings and side-longs glances had not gone unnoticed. They were talking about him, obviously. Jack liked it when people talked about him-to an extent. Periodically, it was rather irritating. Well, gossip could go either way, depending on what they said.

           Jack peered at the compass, sighed a little, and slammed it shut. He locked the helm in place and strided down the steps to the main deck.

            "Anna-Maria! Gibbs! Might aye 'ave a word with you?" Without looking to see their response, Sparrow  sort of twisty-walked into the cabin. His cabin. However, it had altered little from previous ownership. Except, Barbossa's apple centerpiece was looking brownish, and a jumble of clocks littered the red table. Jack sprawled in his chair, rested his feet on the table, and took up a clock. He then commenced in removing all the gears from it. Each small disc was placed in a growing pile of discs. By this time the two other pirates had entered and were

watching Jack at work. Anna-Maria stared as if to say, "he's finally cracked hasn't he?"

            "What's with the clocks, sir?" Mr. Gibbs asked bemused. Jack flashed a wry smile to himself, "It's only a slight hobby I've managed to pick up. A way to unwind, in fact. No pun intended," he added.  Anna-Maria took a seat, deciding that as long as Jack led the crew well, he could have whatever dam hobby he wanted.

            "What 'ave you to tell us, captain?" she asked. Jack paused in his pursuits. He still held the clock and gave the impression he forget he held it.  His dark, tattooed eyes darted between the two.

            "I am going away for some days, experimenting with that lovely little boat we 'ave been so stubbornly towing. In my absence, I shall be leaving you two in charge of my ship. Be sure she gets her hull repaired, preferably on Selva Negra isle. I should arrive there in, probably, two weeks. Tops. Savvy?"

            Mr. Gibbs and Anna-Maria shares the same thought: after a mutiny, two instances of being marooned, becoming a skeleton, shrewdly planning and plotting, and getting knocked senseless at least twice all to get his ship back Jack was willfully leaving it. Wonders never cease.

            "Ah, Jack—captain—what errand posses you to leavin' the Pearl?" Mr. Gibbs posed. Jacked stared wearily, distantly at the wall and stroked a mustache. Then, with new zest, he stood, "Merely some matters to be attended to, in New York, in fact. Now, I would be much obliged if you aid me in obtaining provisions."

            Anna-Maria and Mr. Gibbs followed Jack out of the cabin. When he was out of earshot, Mr. Gibbs whispered, "What do ye make of it?"

She shrugged, "We follow our orders and prepare the boat. But his wanting to leave da Pearl is strange."

"Actually," said Gibbs, "I was talking about the clock thing."

_)_)_)_)_)_)_)_)_)_)_)_)_)_)_)_)_)_)_)_)_)_)_)_)_)_)_)_)_)_)_)_)_)_)_)_)_)_)_)_)_)_)_)_)_)_)_)_)_)_)_)_)_)_)_))

            Night is more brilliant on the sea than any other place. With clear, dark skies, the stars come out in all their scintillating power. The canopy firmament curves until it meets the sea.

            Jack lay on his back in the boat. Just dozing, it wasn't a good idea to completely sleep. It was a sturdy little boat, much nicer than Anna-Maria's. Hers always had a layer of wet in it. Actually, she had been blessed when Jack borrowed her boat. It could've sunk on her in the middle of nowhere. She should be thanking Jack! No way would he ever suggest that to her face, however. His cheek still hurt.

            Jack felt himself falling asleep. He rolled over, sat up, and stared around, and wondered why he was doing this. At first, a flood of grief had spurred his actions. As he always did, the pirate followed his instincts. But now, Jack was unsure for the first time in a long time. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the letter and twisted it open with flourish. It was old, grubby, and dated from two years previous. Jack narrowed his eyes, and lifted the letter a little higher to the moon. And he read it again.

            "Jack,

            "If you are reading this, I shall already be dead. I know, it's a strange way to say 'hello' after all this time. How long has it been? Fifteen, seventeen years? Much has happened since you left. Now I think of it, the world has simply been turned upside down and left me in this state. It's hard deciding where to begin. Well, as you know, I was living with Thomas and that repulsive woman called his wife. When he passed away, he left everything to her. For my life, I have no idea what possessed Thomas to dislike you and I so! Perhaps I shall ask him about it

if I see him in the other world…but let's not dwell on such bitter things.

            "I was saved from that unhappy place by a most amazing man. His name was Henry Worthing and he was a real nobleman; he had family, grace, education. It's difficult to explain how we met, but we were in love before we knew it. Real love, Jack. We cared for each other and worshiped each other and would have died many times over for each other. I wish you could've met him.   I know its not like me to be so gushy, but I'm still devoted to him.

            "But Henry's family disapproved for the marriage. I wasn't 'high-class' enough, I was 'disappointing.' Thus, they disowned him outright, leaving us only some land in the colony of New York. Henry and I moved to the New World. Life was difficult but we had each other. And, you know, Jack, I found that's what really matters in the end. But it was over too fast. Henry was killed in a freak accident. He was over in the city looking after ours affairs when a runaway horse trampled him in the street. It's an outrageous, horrible end for such a man! Well, the

Worthing family took back our home. By that time our daughter, Katherine, was four. We moved to the city and I took a job as a seamstress. This is when you come back into the picture.

            "I seldom read papers, but when the boy mentioned a pirate by the name of Sparrow…well, I bought the paper and learned you were alive yet; and what's more turned to piracy. To be frank, I'm not all that surprised, you were always rather bold and rebellious. As much as I dislike lawlessness, I'd commit murder to see you now. Oh, Jack! I've got tuberculosis, and the doctor told me I've not long to live so I'd better get my affairs together and all I can think of is my daughter Kathy. She's just a little girl who's totally alone. She's to be put in a foundling's "home" but I daren't think what life is like there. Can you realize how desperate this is, that I would write to you who I haven't seen in fifteen years and beg for your help? If you can remember how close we were as children, or if you have any compassion in you, please look after her. She's on Rodger's Street, just present my signature from this letter and they're sure to release her. The nurse who kindly wrote this letter for me, as I can no longer hold a pen, will send it south. In good faith, it will find you. Jack, you had a good heart last time we met. I know its still there even after fifteen years.

            "Your Twin Sister,

                        "Jane Henry Worthing

            Jack held it and fell limply back on the deck. So, Jane was dead. Jack had felt sorrow at first but now he felt hollow. Jane was like a memory from another life. A sweet one, but still a memory.  Why was he going back into that other life? It was ridiculous. Really, really stupid. Who was he to play hero? It was almost funny imaging himself 'looking after' his niece. He read the last line again. "Good heart."  I'm a bloody pirate! He thought, Jane didn't know what she wrote. Jack rolled over. He was a pirate, and all that it implied; thief, kidnapper…but he

really hadn't killed anyone and he didn't remember torturing prisoners. Negotiating always worked well, and didn't they just want to pillage and plunder anyway? That was the attitude that lost you the Pearl, Barbossa had said, which surprised Jack at the time. But, now, it made sense.  Sometimes Jack did stupid things…… like save Elizabeth……thrice……then he did try to sleep with……but he'd been drunk then so did that count?......but Will had called him 'a good man'…what incited him to say that?......Jack just wanted his ship……why wasn't he on the

Pearl?......oh, yes, Kathy……just check up on her……no sense to bring her……who bloody well cares about good or bad?......it throws a nice wrench into life when you think of such things...............Jack's train of thought de-railed and he suddenly feel asleep.

Reviews are greatly appreciated. Thanx.